WOODSTOCK – Embattled Mental Health Board President Lee Ellis may have gotten a reprieve from the McHenry County Board, courtesy of concerns over Illinois Open Meetings Act compliance.

In a surprise move Tuesday evening, County Board Chairwoman Tina Hill, R-Woodstock, pulled all but one appointment from the meeting agenda, including three newcomers to the McHenry County Mental Health Board. The Public Health and Human Services Committee on Friday recommended the appointments, and spurned Ellis' bid for reappointment to a four-year term.

But the delay could put the new Mental Health Board members in a position in which they take their seats the same night that some worry a vote could take place to hire a new executive director.